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WNBA Notes and Quotes: June 4-10

"(The coaches) have been on me about being able to knock the shot down.
I have been doing it in practice, it felt good, but then I get in the game (and)
I can't hit nothing. (Coach) Bill (Laimbeer) told me he was gonna stay with me
and that made me feel good. Keesh (Sales) even told me tonight, 'That's the way
to shoot, Pee Wee.' "
 Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson after scoring a season-high 12 points
as the Shock stayed undefeated with a 79-74 win over the Sun on Sunday

"I didn't know what to expect. As soon as the first shot went in, I
was like, 'What? OK, keep shooting 'cause it might just be one of those days.'
It felt good out there."
 Lauren Jackson after scoring 30 points in her return from an illness
in Seattle's win Saturday over Minnesota

"The fans are great so they get on you. It's about the only place you
get booed at - and that's definitely the ultimate compliment."
 Diana Taurasi on what makes Sacramento such a tough place to play, after
the Mercury topped the Monarchs 74-70 on Saturday

"We have to put teams away. We can't have a lead and then fight at
the end of the fourth quarter against a team that's 1-7.''
 Los Angeles forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin after the Sparks earned a
tight win against Minnesota in their home opener

"I think it's important that the WNBA and the Sparks provide so many
wonderful outlets and opportunities for women who, in turn, can display their
abilities and achievements and also inspire young women who love the sport of
basketball, who care about their bodies and their development overall as women.
It's an empowering experience to see women owning the team and supporting it
and to see these athletes pass it along to the younger generation as well. It's
got everything. It's got entertainment, it's fun-filled. It has role models
and great basketball played by great women who are at the top of their profession."
 Gloria Allred, famed attorney, at the Sparks home opener on Friday

"We are the best team, and we can only beat ourselves."
 Deanna Nolan, after beating the previously undefeated Liberty Friday
in New York

"We played an almost perfect first half only because there's no such
thing. We followed the game plan to a T and came back for some reason and just
relaxed and gave up shots and they started attacking and we didn't, and we gave
up a 16-point lead. In the second half, we underachieved, and at some
point we have to find that heart and that drive and just really sustain it for
40 minutes. So we have to dig deep and find it somewhere."
 Comets coach Karleen Thompson after Friday's loss to Connecticut, in
which her team fell to 0-6

"We've been in this situation before. Once we figure out how not to
get down so much, we will really be a tough team to play."
 Nykesha Sales after the Sun came back from another big deficit to beat
the Comets on Friday

"She kind of started taking off the wraps. It's a question of her saying,
'I'm just going to start helping our team win by taking over the game.' I think
sometimes she wants to play in the flow, which isn't bad, but other times she
just has to step up and say, 'This is my time to direct this team,' and she
certainly did that tonight." Phoenix coach Paul Westhead on star Diana Taurasi, after she scored
22 points to lead the Mercury back over the .500 mark with a win Thursday against
Chicago

"A lot of people let up when (the other team's) star is out. We learned
from Phoenix (after the ejection of Diana Taurasi) we can't do that." Monarchs forward Rebekkah Brunson after her team's win Thursday over
Seattle, on how Sacramento must continue to play hard without DeMya Walker,
to the Sacramento Bee

"The biggest key for us tonight was defense. The last couple of games,
we haven't really played defense the way we know we're capable of playing." Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings on Wednesday's defeat of the
Houston Comets, to the Indianapolis Star

"I think anybody would say that they're a surprise to be 5-0. But if
you watch them play, they play really hard. They're riding an emotional wave,
which will carry you a long way. It's unclear if they can sustain that level,
but we'll see when we play them." Detroit Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer prior to his team's game against
the then-undefeated Liberty, to the Detroit Free Press

"It was a good game by both teams. I think it was exceptionally good
for us because we came out with a lot of energy and we expected the same from
them and they did a very good job of making a run towards the end. I'm just
happy that we got our first win." Seimone Augustus after scoring 22 points and grabbing 5 rebounds
in Minnesota's first win of the season, Tuesday, over the Mercury

"Point out whatever you want. It rests solely on us and no one else.
What are you going to do, have a pity party? If you do, you should lose
and lose every game from here on out, but we're strong character people.
We have to come back tomorrow, practice and get some things together. We have
to really band together now. It's not going to be easy because we say
it is, we have to go out there to do the hard work and get it done." Mercury star Diana Taurasi after Tuesday's loss to the previously
winless Minnesota Lynx

"Baskets mainly. We didn't knock down shots tonight. Sometimes we have
those nights, and you just have to do better the next time." Becky Hammon after Tuesday's loss to Sacramento, on what she thought
was missing from the Silver Stars offense

"I think we started to settle down and handle their pressure. We were
able to execute and get good looks at the basket. When this team executes, we
have a pretty good shot at beating some people. I thought it was an overall
terrific effort at both ends of the floor."  Liberty coach Pat Coyle after Tuesday's 78-67 win over the previously
unbeaten Fever

"As a league that believes in women and all those who support women,
we can't think of a better way to honor the close relationships shared between
daughters and their fathers than by providing a program that is both entertaining
and educational." WNBA President Donna Orender on the WNBA's Dads and Daughters program

Video

Last week, Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph University courageously took the floor for her first college game, refusing to let an inoperable brain tumor keep her from achieving her dream  and WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne and Tamika Catchings were on hand to lend their support.